Oktoberfest, All the Time

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The Heidelberg, a 81-year-old German restaurant, is one of the last relics of German Town, now known as Yorkville.CreditCreditHilary Swift for The New York Times

By Bill Schulz

Sept. 14, 2017

The Heidelberg seems out of step with the high-rise aesthetic of the Upper East Side. Yet for a few hours this Saturday, the 81-year-old German restaurant, one of the last relics of German Town, now known as Yorkville, will be the star of the neighborhood, as its workers dish out sauerkraut and sausages for the annual German-American Steuben Parade. The event, named for Baron Friedrich von Steuben, the Prussian hero of the Revolutionary War, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

“For 20 years we had a float when the parade used to start around 86th Street, and in the old days it was crazy,” said Eva Matischak, 64, the owner of the tavern. “We’re still always at capacity during the day, which is why we’ll offer a limited menu of inexpensive sausages and sauerkraut so as to not overwhelm the kitchen.”

In 1987 Ms. Matischak, along with her 34-year-old son, Andreas, took over ownership from her mother, Luise Elder, who hailed from southern Austria (and is prominently pictured in an early 1980s Jägermeister advertisement that hangs near the bar). Ms. Elder purchased the property in 1964, and it has continued to serve the same Teutonic fare it has been known for since 1936.

“This is all that’s left of what locals used to call Goulash Avenue,” said Elaine Norman, an artist who was sipping a stein of Spaten on the outdoor patio and has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years. “Apart from Heidelberg, all of the German stuff is gone.” She went on to make a dismissive reference to an upscale burger chain across the street.

And yet there has been a resurgence in Bavarian fare. Following the success of Zum Schneider, which opened in 2000 in the East Village, beer-and-brat joints began appearing throughout the city (Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Williamsburg, Loreley on the Lower East Side, and Hofbräu Bierhaus in Midtown, to name a feather-hatted few). But to Heidelberg regulars, the original is still the best.

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Much of the meat at Heidelberg comes from a farm in Windham, N.Y.CreditHilary Swift for The New York Times

“I’ve been coming here since 1982 and eventually married a woman from Hanover,” said Kevin Conway, 59, a security engineer who was sitting at the bar and nursing a Warsteiner. “And now she loves it too.”

Ms. Matischak describes her clientele as generational: “We get grandkids, families, a real mix. With a great younger crowd that shows up on Fridays and Saturdays.”

The younger people seem to be enamored with its retro Bavarian-ski-lodge aesthetic.

“The first time I came here I kissed a girl,” said Natasha Dalanah, a 33-year-old radio executive. “You wouldn’t think that’d happen in a bar like Heidelberg, but it did.”

“You can feel the authenticity as soon as you enter the place,” said Seven Chaperon, 45, who was sipping Pinot Grigio on the patio. “And the food will transport you to another time.” Since Ms. Chaperon is a vegetarian, it was unclear if she was being ironic.

Most of the crowd were noshing on knackwurst (much of the meat at Heidelberg comes from a farm in Windham, N.Y., that Ms. Matischak owns). A number of them were drinking lager out of an oversize glass resembling a knee-high boot. (Note to newcomers: “Das Boot,” as the stein is called by regulars, requires a $60 deposit; you break it, you buy it.)

“The bartenders are friendly, but you better order something German-friendly!” said Samantha Judge Terrio, 31, while taking a long pull from her pint of Hofbrau. “Don’t order anything with spritzer in it, and enjoy the fact that it’s not a place for your typical Upper East Side stereotype.”

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page MB3 of the New York edition with the headline: Falling in Love Again With Beer and Brats. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe